It is known in the art to use flexible materials to generate electricity from routine motions of individuals (e.g., walking). For example, U.S. Pat. No. 6,433,465 uses the electrical response phenomenon of electrostrictive polymers in reverse to harvest or generate electrical power from human walking motion. In this prior patent, a polymer material is incorporated into the soles of footwear and is either full- or partial-wave rectified and then if desired, converted to a direct current (DC) voltage level suitable for battery charging and the like.
Nevertheless, when dealing with such comparatively low-level power systems, any improvements in efficiency can offer significant advantages and offer a much more practical energy recovery system.